The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of hardy, bush type plant of the miniature class. This new variety is from a single seedling created by Frank A. Benardella under controlled conditions in a greenhouse in Englishtown, N.J., by crossing the following two rose plants:
The seed parent is a dark red miniature rose, ‘BENmjul’ (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/035,940, filed Dec. 21, 2001, abandoned).
The pollen parent is a red hybrid tea, ‘JACecond’, (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,369).
The primary goal of this breeding program is to produce unique roses with award winning, hybrid tea form on plants having favorable attributes that will increase public appeal. To achieve this goal roses are selected for this hybridizing program primarily for their award winning, hybrid tea form. Pertaining to this particular cross, both parents have been noted for their exhibition form flowers that are borne one to a stem. Both are traits visible in this new invention.
As stated above, the present invention, ‘BENdiez’, bares resemblance to its seed parent, ‘BENmjul’, in color and size of the flower and being borne singly. The differences between the new invention and its seed parent, also as stated above, rest primarily in petal count and plant habit, as well as the long period of time this new invention holds onto it's shriveled petals.
Both the new invention and the pollen parent, ‘JACecond’, have red, exhibition form flowers, borne primarily singly, similar petal counts and the same shade of Cardinal Red on the reverse of their petals. The most obvious differences are in the sizes of the blooms and plants. The open blooms on ‘JACecond’ are twice the size of the two-inch open bloom on ‘BENdiez’. ‘JACecond’ can grow up to five feet tall and four feet wide in its first year while ‘BENdiez’ reaches a mature height of around two feet and a width of about two feet in three years.
This new invention, ‘BENdiez’ is currently being sold in New Zealand and the United States. No plant protection is being filed for this plant in New Zealand.
Asexual reproduction by cuttings of this new variety in Englishtown, N.J., Rowley, Mass., and Arroyo Grande, Calif., show that all distinguishing characteristics of this rose continually come true to form.